Conventional print shops are organized in a way that is functionally independent of print job complexity, mix or total volume. Typically, conventional print shops organize resources into separate departments, where each department corresponds to a type of process or operation that is performed on a print job. For example, all printing equipment is typically proximately located while all finishing equipment is typically located in a separate location.
When a print job arrives, it sequentially passes through each department. Once the print job is processed by a first department, the print job is queued to the next department. This approach continues until processing of the print job is complete. However, this conventional approach leads to significant time delays and increased work-in-progress and inventory costs.